Marine Corps aviators at this sprawling air base in western Anbar province are adapting Cold War airplanes and traditional tactics to a new kind of warfare -- snooping for insurgents and terrorists who hide among innocent Iraqis, and taking out pinpoint targets in hectic urban fighting.

"It's not just about dropping bombs anymore," said 1st Lt. Kevin Lampinen, 26, a flier with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 332 from Beaufort, S.C., deployed to Al Asad to support Marines and soldiers battling insurgents in contested towns such as Ramadi and Hit.

The squadron flies 12 two-seat Hornet fighter jets that were designed for Cold War battles against other jets and modern armies. But in Iraq, where the enemy is often unseen and the biggest killers are improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, many old tools and tactics don't apply.

To keep the traditional promise of Marines aviation to support the men on the ground, aviators have adapted. Jets designed to jam enemy radar now are jamming the radio signals that detonate IEDs. And bombers are trading some of their ordnance for new sensors that can spot insurgents in crowded cities...